Portable suspension device



E. 07 FREDERICS PORTABLE SUSPENSION DEVlfCE Oct. 7, 1930.

Filed March 25. 1926 IN VEN TOR M 6 5' f fl A TTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 7, 1930 TES PATENT-OFFICE 1 ERNESTO. rnnnnmcs, or New romgN. Yi AsSiGNoR To nrnnnnnrcs, 1No., on NEW ong-NY, A'conronA'rIoN or N EW YOBK i r, roar-ABLE SUSPENSION nEvIon A uca tionffiiea arch 25, 192e, s riarN 97,365.,

This invention relates toa conductor housingapparatus-of improved construction. I It iszan object of the invention to provide a housing capable of use in numerous different associations, but particularly adapted to be employed in thepractice of hair-waving methods, andthe parts of whichv apparatus will berelatively simple and few in number and will be capable of ready assemblage, aside from the fact that'it may be utilized over long periods of time with freedom from mechanical difiiculty.

, It'is a further object of the invention to construct an article of the nature stated which may be readily placedin operative association with a source of electrical energy or disconnected therefrom, and whichwill be light and readily handled by an operator,

i and objects of the invention reference shouldbe had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in WlllCll Figural is a side elevation of one form of apparatusembodying the improved construction.

struct'ion; of the present invention and showing the same in applied position; 7 i Flg. 2 1s a sectional end vlew thereof; and

Fig. 3' is a sectional side view taken along the lines 3-3 and in the direction of the arrows in Fig 2, certainof the parts being broken away to disclose the underlylng con- .Inthese several views the numeral ,5 indicates the housing proper, which consists of housing are secured together in any desirable manner, and wlthin thls housing is a palrof V a pair of complementary sections each preferably providing a reduced lower portion and an enlarged head. The parts of the drums 6 rotatably mounted upon stub-shafts I form of appliances 7, The periphery of these drums is recessed asat 8 so asto provide a retaining groove! for electrical conductors 9. Springs 10 co-.

operate one with each of the drums and tend to rotate the same in such a direction that the cables or conductors are retracted to a maximum extent within. the housing, and the -ma or portlon thereofis coiled around the drums. v a e The bodies of the cables pass over pulleys 11 rotatably mounted upon stub shafts 12 associated with the housing, these pulleysbeing grooved to guidethe cable, and the housing being slotted as at 13 adjacent the pulleys in order to permit of the passage of the cable to points beyond the housing. Suit able checking devices, as, for example, balls 14:, may cooperate withjthe pulleys 11 mor der to prevent an accidental retraction of e the cables, it being understood that an op erator' by a suitable actuation of the parts may release the lock thus provided to allow the cable to assumeits retractedposition. As

atorestated, this deviceis primarily intended V for use in connection with permanent hair waving, and to this end it .will be seen that i in the illustrated embodiment appropriate forms of heaters 15 havebeen shown in asso ciation withthe' cable ends. It will be'undere stood, however, that, ifdesired, any suitable 'might be provided lieu ofthese heaters, i V, i

Eachof the drums preferably carries a pair of contact ringsl6 upon its outer face,

and the ends oteach of thecables carried by the drums are connected to the rings. In the present instance, each of the housing sections or parts has a casing 17 secured to and spaced from its outer face,these casings serving to conceal and enclose the ends of the shafts upon which the drums are mounted, and also providing conduits extending to a point adjacent the lower end of the housing. Mounted within each of these conduits are pairs of holders 18for spring-pressed brushes 19, these holders being arrangedin line'with the 'rings 16. and the brushes consequently bearing against these rings. Extending with in the conduits provided by the casing 17 and electrically -connected with the brushes are pairs of wires 20, the lower ends of which are connected to plug pins 21 extending from the lower end of the housing.

As a consequence, it will be appreciated that if a support is provided for this housing and embodies a pair of electrically charged con tact portions 22, to which access may be had through openings, an operator, by simply inserting the pins of the plug portions 21 through these openings, will. secure the house ing in position, and will furthermore place the cables 9 in electrical connection with the source of energy. Furthermor during the retracting and projecting of these cables the brushes will at all times maintain this electrical connection, and it will be unnecessary to provide wires coiled contra to the cables upon the drums in order to maintain the same.

Finally, it will be understood that the housing and associated parts may be made of any desirablematerial and may be constructed severably, as shown, or otherwise, as is most convenient. To this end, it is pre ferred that molded bakelite be employed in the construction of the housing parts and such other mechanism as may seem most desirable.

Thus, among others, the objects of this invention have been accomplished, and since certain changes may be made in the above construction, and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrated and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the follow-- ing claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said tofall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The herein-described portable suspension-device comprising, in combination, a housing, a drum mounted revolubly ona shaft within said housing, a pair of annular conducting-plates carried by said drum and concentric with said shaft, a pair of contactbrushes mounted on the wall. of said housing and projecting inwardly and into contact respectively with said annular plates, a flexible conductor consisting of two wires which are respectively connected electrically with said annular plates, said flexible conductor being coiled about said drum and extending out through an opening in the wall of said housing, a coiled spring secured at one end to said drum and at the other end to said shaft, whereby pulling out said flexible conductor winds up said spring and puts it under tension which. will retract said conductor. when released, wires leading respectively from said brushes to pin-plug contact-members that project from said housing for insertion at will into suitable contact-sockets, a shieldplate carried by said housing and coacting with the latter in providing a conduit for said last-named wires, and a checking-means automatically preventing automatic retraction of the flexible conductor.

2. In a portable suspension-device such as called for by the preceding claim, said checking-means comprising a pulley mounted within the housing of the device, and engaged by the flexible conductor of said device, which pulley is arranged'to be given rotary movement by the longitudinal movement of said flexible conductor, and a ball located in a seat in said housing and operating by gravity to engage said pulley and prevent automatic retraction of said flexible conductor.

3. The herein-described portable suspension device comprising, in combination, a

housing, a spring-actuated drum mounted rcvolubly within said housing, a flexible conductor consisting of two wires which are respectively in constant electrical connection with a source of current, said conductor becoiled about said drum and extending out through an opening in the wall of said housing and carrying at its outer end an electric device, a pulley mounted revolubly within said housing and in contact with said conductor between said opening and said drum, and aball located within a seat in said housing and operating by gravity to engage said pulley and thereby prevent automatic retraction of said conductor.

in testimonywhereof I afiix my signature.

ERNEST O. FREDERICS. 

